Petra – Short Travel Guide

Everyone must have heard of Petra at some point.

Quick facts:

• Petra is an ancient city built in the 6th century BC, it is located in the south of Jordan.
• It is one of the 7 new wonders of the world, due to the temples dug directly into the rock.
• Petra is also known as the Rose City due to the color of the rocks.
• The city continued to prosper until 363 when an earthquake destroyed several structures.

What you can visit in Petra

The city of Petra has over 200 square kilometres, and a lot of places you can visit. At the main entrance, you will find a map that explains all the routes in Petra, with the degree of difficulty and the time required to complete them.

The first part of the route starts with a narrow canyon called “Sig“, which is 1.2 km long. This canyon takes you to the most elaborate ruin in Petra, The Treasury, or Al Khazneh. The way the canyon snakes and then opens in front of the 40-meter-high structure will definitely leave you speechless.

Many guided tours stop here, unfortunately, yet Petra has much more to offer. If you continue exploring the ancient city you can admire the following:

• Monastery
• Royal Tombs
• Theatre
• Colonnated Street

Opening hours Petra

Petra is open daily between 06:00 – 18:00 in the summer, and between 06:00 and 16:00 in the winter.

Visiting fee

There are several options when it comes to buying the tickets for Petra.

So, if you stay at least one night in Jordan you will pay:

• 50 JD for one day
• 55 JD two days
• 60 JD three days

If you do not want to stay overnight in Jordan and come to visit Petra from a neighbouring country, then the price is 90JD.

For enjoying Petra, we believe that the one day ticket is sufficient. Especially since it is included in Jordan Pass, so you don’t have to pay extra.

There is also the possibility to admire the city after dark, “Petra by night”. The show consists of dozens of lit candles and lamps that shed their light on the Treasury, accompanied by traditional live music. For a spectacle of 30 minutes, you must pay extra, 17 JD / pers.

We found pros and cons on the internet regarding this show (whether it is worth it or not) but on the day we visited Petra it didn’t take place. Petra by night is only organized on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, starting at 8:30 pm.

How long does it take to visit Petra

To visit Petra you need at least one full day, in which to admire the most important structures of the city.

You can visit Petra in half a day, but you will certainly not enjoy everything it has to offer. Being such a large complex (264 square km) you will have a lot of walking and many beautiful objectives to admire. And many breaks to immortalize and share on the social media the impressive landmarks.

We started the visit in the morning, being among the first to enter the complex. And we wandered more than 20 km on foot. If you want to take beautiful pictures and do not wait after other tourists, then you must go to Petra as early as possible. From 9 o’clock the buses full of tourists start to arrive, and the whole place gets crowded at once.

We visited Petra in the summer (late July) and we enjoyed quite high temperatures. This affected our usual pace (slowing us down a little), but we had what to admire. 

What to have with you

We recommend taking with you when visiting Petra, the following:

• Comfortable shoes.
• A hat/scarf to protect you from the sun (especially in summer).
• Water. Put in your bag and a bottle or two of water, because you will need it. After all, Petra is in the desert …
• Cash money. There are plenty of cafes and boutiques where you can buy souvenirs or have a drink. And on the way to Monarchy, you will feel like in a bazaar. Remember the golden rule of Asia / Middle East: negotiate everything you buy.
• A charged battery. You will take many pictures because at each step you will discover something interesting that deserves to be posed.
• Snack. If you think you will stay longer than half a day, put in the bag and a snack. You will not regret it.
• Sunglasses.